Illness of Fate
by litlgaurdian
Summary: More than a year after the Bahamut is destoryed the threads of peace begin to unravel. A vierian deity roams the land leaving a blood paved path, Vaan is captured in the name of war, Fran falls ill, and there is more talk of war. **Full Summary Inside!**


Ok, new story even though I know I'm in the middle of the first one. I will still get that done but for now I'm in Final Fantasy mode and there's no reason for me not to write this.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the characters I create as well as the symptoms and only because they were not shown in the game. All characters, creatures, landscape, and anything else belongs to Square Enix and whoever else makes this stuff.

Full Summary: After the war ends Larsa returns home and becomes what is the Arcadian equivilant of king with Bash as his judge and gaurdian. Queen Ashelia returned home and pledged to remain as queen without a king. Of the others they saw little, but they knew Vaan and Penello at least stayed relitavly close to the borders of the royal city. But for Balthier and Penello none knew, they had simply vanished off the map. When Larsa and Ashe agree, for political reasons of course, that the sky pirate needs to be found Penello and Vaan are the two chosen to seek them. But not all goes well. Vaan is captured, Fran falls ill, a deity of the viera roams the moutainside killing all in its unstopable path, and, above all, there is talk of war between the crafty humes and the wood-warriors of the viera.

Content warnings: I will start the rating at T only because I'm sure this will be dark but I'm not expecting anything too terrible or graphic. But, to be honest, even I don't know what is going to happen until it is written. Only what is done is set in stone and what I had in mind tends to change just like the rating might. If anything comes up I will let you know here and I'll change the rating. But take this as your first warning in case anything happens.

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Illness of fate

A Final Fantasy XII fanfiction

Chapter 1: The search for the verria

Over a year passed since the battle against the Bahamut ended and Lord Vain Solidor died. Since then peace has reigned between the countries of Rossaria, Arcadia, and Dalmasca. The Dalmascans enjoyed life without the Arcadian imperials doing as they pleased and Old arcadies has taken a turn for the better. The world was beginning to look better, even if the hearts of those who had made it that way were beginning to crumble.

Lord Larsa Solidor, the younger brother to the now diseased Vaine, now rules over the land of Arcadia fairly and justly. But the price to have such an honor was simply too much. His brother was power hungry, blood thirsty, and wrong, but could he stand himself having been a part of his murder. The only bit of comfort for him was in the girl he saved in the Lushu mines, a girl named Penello. But since the end of the war she continued to live in Rabanastre with Van and he hadn't seen her since. Every day he wondered if she was safe, if he was protecting her. A good girl like her needed someone to watch over her or she'd get herself hurt. She was too good a girl.

Her royal Magesty Queen Ashelia he heard of more than the others. She was queen after all and with him ruling Arcadia they were more or less forced to interact for political reasons. But even she could tell him little of the fate of Penello or Vaan. As far as the both of them knew they were still running around the city as orphans working for Migello and thieving for their next meal. But during such meetings where the two of them were together she cared much more for his guard than the issues they spoke of. Bash Von Rosenburg, the wrongly accused killer of her father has cared for the Young Lord Larsa since his brother, Gabranth's, death. The Judge's dieing words were for him to care for Larsa, to protect him. Ever since then he has been the young lord's guardian, but the boy knew it was in his own interest to be with Lady Ashe, even if he denied it.

Of the sky pirates Balthier and Fran no one knew. When the end of the short-lived war came they disappeared altogether. Their enterprise continued no doubt, but their duty was carried out so well no one had ever seen or reported them. Only once Tomaj was able to say he had seen them and only because they had stopped in the Sandsea. Everyone in the little team that saved the country realy did want to see them again, but they were unreachable.

"Perhaps they've gone off to the Rozzarian empire." Larsa suggested as one of the debates over treaties and borders wandered back to their old friends as they often did. Aside from himself and Ashelia only Bash watched in full armor. "If neither of us have any record of pirate thieving then it must be there."

"I would think the same, except that Al-Cid has told me nothing of it as well." Ashelia told him, "It is as though they have vanished completely."

"Fran is, ultimately, a verria." Bash added. "Their kind are trained in the way of stealth. Perhaps she trained him."

"That may be true, but they are careful to keep their secrets to themselves. None of us can say they know more than nothing on the verria ways." Larsa stated and all agreed. Perhaps if they knew more they could understand.

"What if they've gone off and died?" Bash suggested, "It is only the faintest of possibilities, but it is still there."

"Those two are practically invincible, in one way or another." Ashelia told him. "They always find some way, even if survival is impossilble."

"I know." Larsa stood and walked to a nearby window, his hands folded behind his back. Outside he could see a great majority of the royal city of Arcadies from the high position of the palace. To say the general view of the city was improving would be an understatement. All construction headed by the Dracklor labrotories had been ceased and everything was being redone. Buildings were repainted, cleaned, and repaired. The tax system had been modified to allow the wealthy to give more than the poor. The lower class citizens of Old Arcadies received no payment for no work done and were set to work repairing their city in one way or another. The upper class were free to work if they pleased being that many had the funds necessary for survival anyway and were not forced into labor. They were, however, expected to contribute even in the smallest of ways. Larsa sighed when he looked over the city. Bright days were ahead of them.

"My lord," Bash interrupted his thoughts, "Perhaps if someone were to go and search for them. If the severity of the mission is as you say and the verrian impact is essencial than they must be found."

"Indeed, but who could we send on such a journey?" Larsa asked, "Perhaps one of the bounty hunters that searched after Balthier for several years and only came within reach once only to lose him?"

"If an enemy will not do then we must recruit a friend."

"It may cost their life."

"Whoever they are must be strong."

"You would condemn the life of a friend, your highness?"

"I would do so much as give them the option to refuse." She answer, "But for the sake of the hunt, adventure, and duty to their country I doubt they would refuse."

"You have someone in mind?" Bash asked but all three of them knew.

"Vaan."

At the word Larsa looked back out the window again. "Alright then, we'll find him. I imagine Penello would not stray far from Rabanestre and Vaan not far from her. When you return home, your highness, send a message to migello, tomaj, the moogles, anyone you can think of. But make sure he knows of what must be done."

"VAAN!" He grumbled as the shout scared away the bird he had been stalking for over an hour. He grumbled and threw his sword to the ground with such force that it half buried itself in the ground.

"Do you mind? I almost had it." He snapped, "If I'm ever gonna buy you all dinner then you'll have to let me hunt."

"You know Reks wouldn't want you hunting anyway." She told him using his brother against him, a method that worked most of the time. "Anyway, Migello gave me a message. Says Ashe wants to see us again."

"What, now she wants to talk to us?" vaan said picking up his sword. "She stopped caring about us after we ended the war and she turned queen."

"Don't say that, you know it's not true." She snapped, "She's just been busy. You can't imagine how much responsibility she has. I'd like to see you try it."

"I'm sure I could do it."

"No you couldn't. Look, that aside, she needs you. Look, there's a thing Larsa's doing and he needs the support to do it. With Humes alone the vote's practicly even but for now they won't let it pass. He's been trying to get a hold of Fran since the subject came up, but she and Balthier are unreachable. He and Ashe both agreed to send you."

"So the hunter is hunting men now."

"Verria actually. So you up for it or not."

"I don't know. I kinda got a thing going. Montblanc pays me well to hunt for him and I get paid by the client. That, and I get to go wherever I want."

"Oh Larsa'll pay you. That's not a problem."

"How much are we talkin?"

"500,000 gil." She smiled knowing she had won him over with the number. "He really wants to let this pass. Plus he doesn't really think you'll be good enough to find her anyway."

"Tell Larsa he'll have his verria on one condition. The money I get isn't taxable. I get a full 500,000. I'll head off to the Golmore jungle and see if I can steal her sister and I'll go from there." He shouldered his sword and looked back to the sky where his catch flew off. "Montblanc won't like me abandoning a hunt though."

"It's not abandoning. It's more like postponing. When this little adventure is over you go back to a normal life."

"With that kinda gil, I won't have to."

"Whatever makes you happy. I'm gonna tell Migello he needs to get Kytes to watch the shop for a while. Don't give me that face. It's not like you though I was gonna let you do this on your own." He rolled his eyes. As she started running away. He didn't mind having her around. She wasn't bad with a bow but it was her skill in white magicks he depended on. He went further west following after his bird. It gave him something to do while he waited.

"You be careful now," Migello told him. It wasn't hard for him to finish his hunt and report back to the client and Montblanc. Among the pay was enough teleport stones for him to cross the entire continent without worry. After he was payed he spent a while at every shop in Rabanestre to pick up upgrades in armor, weapons, and get some extra magick for Penello. He knew the stronger her magic was the better he would do. After he stoped at Migello's, a shop he hardly went to any more since the clan supplied him well enough, the elder bantha couldn't help but lecture him for a while. Penello had already reached him.

"I know, I will." He promised though, in truth, he hadn't heard a word of what he said.

"She's a good girl, too good to be lost out in the middle of the wilderness."

"I know. She'll be fine."

"I just want to be sure that-"

"Look, Migello, I know you care and all, but we gotta go. We do have a lot of ground to cover between now and sunset."

"Right, I'm sorry to have kept the both of you. Take care." And with nothing more than a wave he ran off heading to the Southgate where Penello was probably waiting.

At the edge of the city limits she was leaning against a wall. In her hands were two sets of leather reins wrapped around the reins of two chocobos already saddled and ready to ride.

"You actually bought these stupid birds?" He asked seeing them. Actualy he didn't think they were stupid, just a waste of time. There really was no reason for him to have to worry about taking care of the bird that was bigger, and probably stronger, than him if he could just walk.

"It would save us some time. Fran's villiage is pretty far away and it would take all day to get there if we walk. Plus we do have to convince them to let us _in_ the village to begin with. Unless, of course, you can go ahead and talk to the wood and let us in."

"Fine." He pulled himself up to straddle the bird and pulled the reins, "Let's just go. We're wasting time." And then he dug in his heels and the chocobo screeched and took off. For a while he wobbled back and forth in the saddle, unaccustomed to the way it leaned with each stride.

The rainy swamplands of the Giza Plains passed by them quickly. The rain came heavily and Vaan kept one arm raised to keep his eyes as clear as possible. The chocobo's three toed feet sank in the mud of the soil with every stem, but he pulled himself free before they were trapped. Behind him Penello whined once trying to shield herself from the water, but failed. Around them they passes swamp gators, toads, croakadile's, and hyenas searching for shelter from the storm. A few snakes had come from their flooded tunnel homes underground and snapped at the legs of the golden bird.

With the plains and the rain behind them they stopped to rest in the Ozmore plains, the Giza's nehibor and opposite. Not a single cloud could be seen from the pass and beyond. The land was nothing but grass and a few trees scattered around them. An entire new set of creatures lived here though the snakes were still common. A Zu had picked a fight with a rouge black chocobo and one of the armored horses watched stamping his heavy hooves.

"Come on, let's go." He said after the Zu loosed a triumphant cry and the lesser fell dead. A small group of them came to feast and still the horse stood sentenil waiting for them to clear so he could take the rest. "We've been sitting long enough."

"Just let me finish this spell."

"What spell?"

"Just hold still." She told him. The wind around her picked up and blew her hair, but he didn't feel any of it at all. A small orb of light green light surrounded him and he winced as a fierce pain shot through his eyes.

"Hey!" He cried closing his eyes as the initial pain and shock faded, "Watch it. That hurts."

"It's supposed to at first. Knock it off and open your eyes." When she did what she said and could have laughed. The world seemed so much clearer, the sun brighter, and everything closer. It was as though he was looking through the eyes of a cat or hawk. On the edge of the path he had planned on following he saw a small red circle in the ground he had not noticed before. When he went to stand beside it he could see how the red spell had replaced the blades of grass with blades of needles ready to dive into the flesh of any who stepped on it.

"What did you do?"

"A libria technick. I learned it a little over a week ago but this is the first time I tried it."

"We'll it works. Let's move." He mounted the bird and spurred it on. He didn't like not being able to just hunt anything he ran into. Instead he just charged through to the jungle stoping for nothing. Yes he complained a few times but he never could win an argument with her. He gave up most of the time or just did what he wanted without him.

"There's the entrance." Penello stopped and called him. He had run past it without even realizing what he was doing. He had stopped paying attention to where he was going but just went waiting for the bird to faint from under him. "Now if we could only get to the verria inside."

"Maybe if we knock down a few trees they'll come to us." He joked.

"That's not funny. You know how much they need the wood."

"It's not like it's _that_ big of a deal. It's a forest right? Nothing more. And we can get their weirdness to come to us because of it." He jumped up and grabbed a thin branch on a tree and it snapped under his weight.

"Monster!" They heard the voice from a tree as one of the verria sprung pinning him to the ground from his chest. He didn't recognize her, but she was strong, stronger than Fran even, and that was all he needed to know. "the leader will destroy you when she hears of this."

"No, wait, he didn't mean it." Penello defended, "We don't want to hurt your wood."

"Yes you do." She gripped his neck and lifted him off the ground. For a moment he struggled, but oxygen was leaving his body and already the world was beginning to fade. Penello's voice came in and out as the verria carried him off. He did manage to hear the last thing she said to Penello before she opened the path to the wood and disappeared without her.

"Jote was right. The Humes are waging war against us."

"What makes you so sure of yourself, Lady Ashe. " Bash told her once Larsa had gone to settle something in the labrotories. "He may have been of great help before, but he is nothing more than an immature boy."

"More reason for him to go. Immature as he is it makes him more likely to accept the offer because of the gil."

"But still. Penello will go with him. If something happens to her-"

"I am more than sure she can care for herself. You have underestimated her before."

"True as that may be it is not her I fear for now. I fear for Lord Larsa's sake for this matter. Penello meant, and still is, a great deal to him. If she dose not return from this mission it could mean the worst for our king."

"I know." She said even if she hadn't thought of it. "but how much danger could the both of them really be in? They are only looking for one verria."

"the verria of the golemore jungle are an uneasy race and reciently there have been some disturbances with them."

"So I've heard, but I thought I was misinformed."

"You weren't. Something has spurred them, caused them to hate unlike before."

"They have always hated us. It is common knowledge that the Dalmascan verria are the fiercest of the three."

"But they have been worse than their northern cousin. The rouges on the mountains in the panama rift have their work cut out for them for they face the worst of their wrath."

"But why?"

"If I knew that it wouldn't be a crisis. But it is true, of Vaan or Penello deal with them then they will likely be slaughtered by them."

"Dr. Cartian." Larsa called once he entered the labrotory. This was among the few buildings in Arcadies to remain unchanged. Dr. Cid had taken great care of it under the occuria's direction and there was no reason to change it any further. A good deal of workers were still employed here, for both research and maitence, but they did not seek destruction with nethesite or weapons of war. They searched for ways to better the lives of Arcadians, the original purpose of the lab to begin with.

Upon the passage of Dr. Cid a great deal of political squabbles rose up over who was to take his place. Larsa, distracted with the rest of the reconstruction, allowed them to fight for a while but in the end nominated his own choice. With the support of The Good Lord Larsa the support of the country followed and Dr. Cartian was elected to run the company. He was a good man, part of the reason for the support Larsa gave him. Before he was hardly known, a worker and nothing more. But he had a heart for service when it came to helping Arcadia.

"You called Lord Larsa?" he said looking away from his work which was nothing more than a stack of papers. With a glance Larsa saw it to be something they could use to build taller, stronger buildings without having to put actual people high into the air. "I tell you these big babys will save the lives of hundreds. Just the other day we had someone fall off a building. Poor man, if I remember right he had children."

"I will attend to his family then," He said knowing that, in part, it was his fault he died by sending him into the skies to build anyway. He had been poor and impoverished enough, his children dreaming of becoming soldiers because they knew nothing else. And, despite the risk, his father was willing to do whatever it took to feed them. "But I come on other matters."

"Oh, what is it this time."

"have you word from the verrian quarter?"

"On your little bill?" he rubbed the short brown stubble on his chin as he thought. "I heard a bit. Apparently, and this is only what leaks through the woodwork, they believe war is to come."

"Who told you this?"

"an information seeker that I, out of grace, will not give his name."

"It was Jules, wasn't it?"

"You are good.'

"I've done business with him before and I know him to be fairly reliable. Continue."

"Anyway. He claims that the verria here are restless because of a scuffle with their southern neighbors."

"The ones in the Selika have always been trouble."

"No, these are the ones further south that worry them."

"But they've never had troule with us before." Only silently did he wonder if it was Fran's village specifically that caused such trouble.

"But it seems they have now. They say the leader has had a bit of trouble with a hume, but they never said the name. Because of it she claims humes are at war and are trying to kill them off one at a time. They say they take advantage of rouges that wander the cities and throw them back into the wood, weak and dieing. Many of our veria population are starting to leave out of fear of this."

"I have noticed the population decline." Larsa said nodding. "Then what do you propose we do."

"They will need someone to go to whatever started this ordeal and convince them we mean them no harm. You are trying to help the world and what Queen Ashelia does I doubt will hurt them."

"I'll send word to her then. She's just left. I'll leave you to your work."

"Good. A masterpiece this beast will be. Strong with its long neck that reaches the clouds like the great crane. I will say though, I do like that idea of a name." He continued to talk to himself as he worked, every word seeming to make him more excited as he went. Larsa left and almost disappeared. The need to find Balthier was becoming greater as time passed.

"Vaan," Larsa whispered to the clouds as if he would be able to hear him, "Hurry and find them. Arcadia will not hold long."

"VAAN!" Penello yelled after him long after they had taken him. Without Fran they might not show mercy to him like they did before. Verria were fierce beasts of the forest and he just didn't understand that. She needed to find a way in. For a long time she ran about the forest only hurting beasts that attacked her searching for something that would help her. But she was a stranger here so she could find little on her own.

Then she found her help. A hume leaning against a tree. He was still as stone staring off into the distance at something she couldn't see and would not be moved. It was only when she grew closer did she realize what luck she had.

"Balthier!" She shouted happily when she saw him. Fran would be with him and when she freed Vaan everything would be taken care of. "I've been looking for you." He didn't say anything. "Larsa need you and Fran back in Arcadia. He said he'd pay you for your help." Still he was silent. "Can you even hear me?"

"They took her." He said. She searched his voice for emotion expecting anger or something like it, but heard concern and worry.

"Who? Fran?"

"Who else?"

"Why?"

"Because I play the leading man. Why else?" Penello shook her head at his senseless answer.

"They took Vaan too. I suppose that's because I'm the leading lady then."

"Don't be silly. You're just a child."

"Well then what happened?"

"I don't need to tell you. Let the verria do their verria things and everything will be taken care of."

"The one who took Vaan said that humes were at war with them. I don't think he'll last as long as Fran will. Espessialy since they-"

"If you want me to help you save him you'll need to look elsewhere. If I go back in there it's likely they won't give me my partner back."

"Her sister's the leader."

"I said no. You and the boy are on your own. Whatever you want isn't worth the risk of me doing it. If anything stealing someone from them will only anger them. They're already mad enough, best not to make things work."

"What exactly did you do?"

"Nothing really. I just walked."

"Vaan broke a tree branch and insulted their wood."

"Then you'd best not waste your time. The boy's already dead one way or another. They are pretty mad."

"you're just gonna let him die?"

"I didn't say I'd let it happen. I said he already is and there's nothing I can do about it. So I'm going back to waiting."

"How long have you been here."

"Say a week, maybe more."

"So then what happened?"

"I'll only tell you what happened up until I decided to take her to her village, but after that I can say no more. For her sake."

"Just tell me." She told him. "I'll decide what you need to tell me afterwards."

Balthier breathed in deep before he began to tell Penello of Fran's fate starting in the Sandsea.

Balthier leaned back in his chair, but not enough to lift he legs off the ground. His eyes closed in satisfaction as the strong taste remained in his mouth. He wished he could stay here, but he and Fran had done well in disappearing and she intended it stay that way. But for now he could have his drink, though it wouldn't last long, and they could be on their way. He hadn't had a good drink in a long time.

The sound of wood scraping against wood snapped him out of his little world and he looked to see Fran standing. His eyes followed her body, starting at her waist, and traveled upward until his eyes rested on her cocked head. Her eyes narrowed before she walked down the stairs from their usual table and to a board against the wall. A number of papers hung from it, each displaying some gruesome monster most wouldn't want to meet. Fran placed a long nail on one of them and only then did Balthier bother reading.

At his first glance at the multi-colored beast he thought it was a fox, as was his head. The fur there was short and red, its ears tipped with white. But looking further he saw the beast to be a puzzle of beasts put together in seemingly random places. Its chest and legs were like that of a racing dog, thin and lean, but its paws had been severed and replaced with an eagle's talons. Everything from the stomach to the bones of its back legs had gone feline resembling the deep brown fur of a lion. But his back legs became canine once more, the powerful and strong legs of the wolf. The wolf's features continued on to its grey and white tail. The bill spoke of the crimes of the beast: the murders, and thieving, and terror it causes the people in the area around the jungle, mountains, and plains that surround the wood of Fran's homeland. At the very bottom lay, not one, but two pleas for help from the Jahara and refugees that lived on the moutians.

"So you've found yourself a mutant." Balthier said still unsure of why she had shown this to him.

"It is not a mutant." She told him, "It is known as the Enfield and is the only one of its kind. To the verria it is like a deity to males, just as the wood is to me. But unlike the wood the Enfield cannot be reached or spoken to. It's not even supposed to exist on this world, but on the next. But centuries ago, before the Enfield left Ivilace, it was a kind and gentle beast, not a savage like this claims."

"So you want us to do something about it."

"I expect that someone is trying to scare the people around my home and blame the verria. My sister will not stand by while our kind are ridiculed and accused for what we do not do. The males will not stand by while their god is ridiculed. They will find reason to make humes fear them."

"And if it's not."

"Then it is worse. If this is not correct then it means that the Enfield has returned to Ivilace and, for whatever reason, is unpleased and no mortal beast, verrian or not, will be able to stop it. It will continue it's rampage, expanding its hunting territory as it does, until all of Ivilace is lost to its fangs and claws."

"Then we'll set out after it."

"We won't contact the client though. But yes, we will hunt it ourselves."

Balthier nodded and went back to his table to take the last of his drink. She did not accompany him only to ensure he did not take his time. When he finished at last the both of them left to the Aerodome where his precious airship waited for him.

He ran his hand along the sides as he walked to the door. He would not admit how much of it was for support rather than simply the pleasure of his prize. Fran, who never drank, would have to fly her this time. She was already inside with the moogles following after her raised heels. He closed the door behind him as the engines started to awaken and roar in protest. Balthier fell into his seat and didn't bother with his seatbelt. They weren't planning on going far.

"Perhaps we should wait a few hours for you." She said stopping her procedure for takeoff to look at him. Her amber eyes studied him, knowing insantly what was wrong. "You won't hold in a fight if it comes to it."

"I'll manage."

"You lie." With the press of a single button the ship fell silent, the engines falling asleep again. "We'll wait."

"No. If this Enfield is as important as you say then it should be taken care of."

"The Enfield will not do too much damage in a few hours. If anything, fresh meat would give us a trail to follow. We'll wait." She repeated. She said something else, but the words were lost somewhere between her lips and his mind.

Moments later the ground shook and he looked out the window to see the mountain they had landed in. Fran turned back and said something to the moogles Balthier couldn't recognize. The language was the only thing the two races shared, their throats the only ones able to make the sounds.

"Where are we?" he mumbled barely able to find his voice.

"The Panama rift." She answered "you've been asleep for about eight hours. I've gathered supplies and got us here."

"Oh." He sat up and rubbed his sore head. He knew this was to come and could only try to push it away and focus on this mission.

Fran stood up and took her bow. Over the years they had been together Fran had always used a bow. In time she would upgrade to more powerful, faster, more accurate models. But never did her archery cross into the bowgun class. The arrows she used varied depending on occasion. This time she carried in the quiver that would rest silently on her hip as she ran a dozen arrows infused with magicks. Balthier was not considerably good with magicks and couldn't tell what lay within the wood of the shaft. He could not see the flame of fire or tiny yellow forks of thunder and thus the contents were a mystery.

Balthier took with him a thick barreled shotgun. The shot he carried carried what was little more than a broadhead arrowhead, only much smaller. The deadliest of his weapons was a gun that shot capsules of razor blades. He almost pitied anything he shot at, but then stopped caring.

"Use a different shot," Fran told him as she watched him load the gun, "We don't want to kill the Enfield. If you hurt him too badly then you'll also have the verria to deal with." And, grumbling, he obeyed.

Fran was the first to set out into the snow. Her paw-like feet sank into the snow, but the points of her heel supports sank deeper. She shifted her weight to her toes and continued on as if there was no trouble. Balthier couldn't imagine doing the same.

Even with his mind still fuzzy with the alcohol from the hours before he could still manage to focus himself on her. She walked through the forest with the snow drifting around her as if she owned it. Her legs walked with grace that a cat would envy, when she drew her bow her arms had strength an ox would envy. Her hair, whiter than the snow that clung to it flowed over her cinnamon colored shoulders and he smiled at the sight of it.

"What are we looking for?" He asked her after only a few moments of watching her.

"Anything that should not be there. Anything different than what you would normaly see here. But be careful though, the Enfield is good at disguising itself as what is normal."

She was the first to find their first clue in the trunk of a tree. Claw marks ran across it, a beast sharpening its tusks. But she ran her fingers across it and sighed saying their prey had been there reciently. With a few second of assessment she decided that he was probably close enough that he was probably watching them.

Balthier looked to the trees, as if the verrian deity was above them, ready to strike. But the trees were empty. Not even a passing bird found a resting place in its branches. But he had been looking in the wrong place and from behind him it struck, dropping him to the ground swiftly.

With the growling, snarling beast on his back there was no way to escape. Fran did not shoot at him, but kicked off her heel supports and sprang at him like a cat. Her nails became claws of furry as the both of them became a mass of snarling and growling bodies. The smaller claws on her feet had extended much like a cat as they scraped closer and closer to his belly. But the Enfield's fangs sank into her shoulder and she howled in pain.

As they fought he raised his gun, looking for a time to fire. But the both of them were so fast, so close together, that he couldn't find a way to shoot without the chance of hurting her. With a curse he threw himself into the fight where he was quickly proved as less than useless. His still sore head pulsed with pain after the Enfield threw his shoulder against him. He would get either himself or Fran hurt in this fight. But she was hurting, losing probably, what could he do?

Somehow she tore herself away. Her shoulder was bleeding horribly, crimson staining her shoulders and hair. Her armor, not created for battles like this, had been of little to no help here. She held herself in a crouched position like a cat facing her opponent who had barely a scratch on his body. A few places near his neck she had managed to rip out some of his red fur, but that was the extent of the damage she caused. Before anything more could happen Balthier took the shot he should have taken a long time ago.

The small pellets of shot flew towards the enemy faster than he could see and buried into the soil around his paws. Only a little bit of the shot actually struck his paws leaving little places of blood. But, it seemed, that the few shots that made contact was somehow enough and he fled from the both of them without a sound.

"Fran," He didn't bother chasing after him but went to help his partner. "are you alright?" He asked even if he knew the answer and was already taking something out of his pocket that would help stop the bleeding.

"I was . . . foolish . . . " She struggled to speak, "I should have . . . never tried . . . "

"Don't talk." He ordered and poured the thick green liquid in the palm of his hand. With only two fingers he pushed away her hair and gently rubbed it into her skin. The injury had been worse than he thought. Not only had the enfield bitten her leaving the crescent shape of holes in her skin, but had torn his teeth away tearing a massive amount of flesh from her muscles. She winced as it touched her and he worked quickly knowing she could easily bleed herself to death with a wound such as this.

"It was . . . a _god_. How could I . . . have stood . . . a chance?"

"I said not to speak." He kept working, adding more and more of his healing elixir until nearly half of the expensive bottle had been depleted. He would need to find some more, provided he could get himself to remember where he had gotten this one. But her bleeding had stopped and the worst of his fears were over. She was still bleeding, a series of much more minor injuries still coated her body, but they were much less of a threat and he was unafraid of them. He scooped her fragile form into his arms, leaning back to support her, and let her rest her head against his shoulder.

"I failed." Her words had become little more than a mumble and he knew she would be unconscious soon. She needed someone to help her and fast. The moogles, they would be better at this then him. Not exactly majors in medicine, but they knew more about her body then him.

Then she snapped up, fully awake it seemed. But her arms folded tightly over her stomach, her nails driving into her palms from her tightly clenched fists, as she threw back her head and screamed. It was unlike any sound of pain he had ever heard from her, as if she had endured the torture of a hundred years in a single moment. When she fell still Balthier asked her.

"My stomach," She grumbled barely able to force the words from her throat. She said something in her own language before she realized she was using the wrong tongue and tried again, "my chest too. It hurts so horribly. Do something."

in her last plea he felt patheticly helpless. He couldn't help her and she would die like this, her body engulfed in unmatched pain until it could take no more. He didn't have what it took to save her, he didn't know how to save her. He didn't know anyone that could. This would be where she died, so closed to the wood she called home.

Home!

"I'll get you to the village." He promised. His words he kept reassuring and confident even if he did not share the emotions. "Your sisters will help you there. They'll know what to do. You'll be alright. You'll make it. They'll take care of you." But by the time he finished trying to tell her she would survive she had already fallen still in his arms.

* * *

Litlgaurdian's notes: This is my first Fanfic like this and I'll need your every word. I appologize now because I havn't exactly looked up the spelling of every word in the Final Fantasy XII realm, but do send me a message and I'll change it. With that aside, enjoy reading, waiting for the next one, and be sure to review because I still survive off of you. Thank you for reading.


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